A Life In Ruins Put Into Perspective For Expat

[george]

A life in ruins put into perspective for expat

AUSTRALIAN expat Dennis Morgan lost everything – including four good friends – in Asia's tsunami crisis, but after a tearful reunion with his family yesterday he was counting his lucky stars.

Mr Morgan said the killer waves – which destroyed his Thai beachfront bar and left his hometown of Patong Beach, in central Phuket, in ruins – had helped put everything in perspective.

After embracing his daughter Nicole Marsters at Brisbane International Airport's arrivals lounge yesterday morning, Mr Morgan said the material things he lost no longer seemed important.

"There's nothing left, everything is gone. We've lost everything, but I'm one of the lucky ones," he said.

"I'm home. I'm happy. We think we are badly off because we lost a lot of tourists but the Thais are worse . . . they've got nothing."

Mr Morgan, 59, plans to stay with his daughter and her family on the Gold Coast while he considers his future.

He said it was still too early to make a decision about whether to rebuild his Patong bar, which he had been operating with his son Nathan for the past four years.

Their rental accommodation – 2km inland from the beach – survived the water surges but he abandoned it to return to Australia.

His son remains in nearby Krabi looking for his Thai girlfriend, who has been missing since the tsunami struck.

Mr Morgan said he had spent much of the past week looking for four of his friends – two Australians, a Swede and an Englishman – who had disappeared.

His homecoming was an emotional event for Ms Marsters, who had to wait until Saturday to find out her father was alive.

"I only found out he was safe when the Australian embassy in Bangkok rang on New Year's Day and said they had my father and that he was safe and for me to get him on a flight to come back," she said.

"It's been very emotional but there's a lot worse off people than we are at the moment."

--news.com.au

[andyadam]

No matter how bad things seem in life, there is ALLWAYS someone with a less fortunate life than your own.